Updating Systems

Had a rare four day weekend...actually it's not that rare, I have another one this coming weekend ha ha! On a trip to Fry's to pick up some dual layered DVD+Rs, I also decided to pick up a small, portable hard drive for the laptop. Spent a part of yesterday transferring nearly 30 gigs worth of mp3s to it, cleaning out my laptop's HD in the process. It works perfectly. I can disconnect the drive and take it with me or leave it at alone and carry the laptop anywhere around the house. The bad news is that my printer still doesn't work...a new record of sorts...I think the thing worked for about a year and now it's kaput. And that pisses me off. Currently listening to the new Modest Mouse, the new Wilco and planning a grand vacation around Mexico City later next month. See ya later.

Dashboard.mp3 - Modest Mouse
Impossible Germany.mp3 - Wilco

Lightning Strikes

It's been raining so much out here. I think we've had, maybe, three days without rain in the past two months. Took some time out to sit on my porch with a camera and just take pictures. It's probably totally lame, but I did catch lightning striking twice...and I have the photos to prove it!

The Holy Mountain

I received the Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky DVD set last week but put it away since it came the day before I left for a scuba trip to Austin. The reviews have been favorable and I was mildly amazed to see that DeepDiscount.com lists the set as their number-one best-selling DVD! Finally got around to watching it last night. I first became a fan of Jodorowsky back in the late '80s. I was aware of his work even earlier but due to the lack of access to his films (El Topo and The Holy Mountain have been heavily bootlegged for years), I was never actually exposed to it. A foggy, late night at the Dobie in Austin back in '89 changed all that. I took in his latest, Santa Sangre, which blew my mind. Although that film isn't in this set, The Holy Mountain alone is worth the price of admission. Easily Jodorowsky's best, THM is funny, scary, awe-inspiring, violent, beautiful and very ugly -- all at the same time. The print and sound are incredible on this first official US video release and recommended especially to fans of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick -- although Jodorowsky out-weirds them both. Unusually artful and surrealist in their vision, Jodorowsky's films are a breath of fresh air, offering a smart rebuttal to the small and mean-minded, modern culture though they were made nearly 40 years ago.

Whewwww!

I was right. You can smell dead carcasses moldering underneath our house as I type...yikes!

All About Animal Hoarding

Here's an article that caught my fancy (I dunno, maybe thinking about the pup). All about Animal Hoarding.

For most people, the term "animal hoarding" conjures up images of an eccentric "cat lady." Despite the stereotype that collecting animals is simply a quirky behavior, recent research has pointed to a direct correlation between psychological problems and the tendency to hoard.

Puppy Update

Update on the puppy front. Found a home for it on Craigslist. I actually received several responses and was quite pleased that so many dog lovers were interested. Ahh, now it's time to relax.

CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above

I know I'm about a year behind, but I just recently discovered my new favorite band, the Brazilian combo Cansei de Ser Sexy. Just one listen to their single, "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above" and you're hooked. That song is great but their debut album rocks! I particularly like "Alala" and "Off the Hook." A big part of the band's appeal is their charming use of the English language and the uninhibited, wildchild mannerisms of lead singer Lovefoxxx.

Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above.mp3

Puppy Love

What a week! I never thought I'd look forward to my office job as a place to get away from it all. Compared to home, it's a tropical vacation!! Last Thursday, the day before my birthday, who shows up on our doorstep except for a cute, little stray puppy? Now it won't go away. So, having big hearts, we decided to take it in. For some reason it's really stressing me out. And if I've learned anything from this, it's that NO ONE WANTS A PUPPY. I've tried and tried to pawn this thing off to various animal lovers but NO ONE WANTS A PUPPY. What am I going to do?? On top of that and the fact that the almost daily rain has turned our yard into a swamp, at least two litters of newborn kittens are living under the house. You hear them constantly mewing. I'm pretty sure I'm going to smell them dying soon. Now I'm exhausted, have a stye that has swollen my right eye and I'm dreading going home to deal with my growing menagerie. What did I do to deserve this??

Hindenburg Memories

This weekend marks the 70th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Reminds me of back when I was a kid. I was really into the Hindenburg for some reason, even if I didn't totally understand what it was all about. There was a shop in my hometown that sold little plastic models of the Hindenburg, about the size of pack of Mentos. It came complete with decals of little swastikas on the rear blades. My mom disapproved and scraped them off when I got it home. I was upset about this cause it was, like, instantly ruining my new toy. After playing with it for a week or so, I broke it. I got the chance to go back and get another one. My mom removed the swastikas again. Broke that one. Finally got a third. This time my mom failed to notice...the swastikas stayed on. I didn't know about Nazis and stuff. I just thought they looked cool.

Interesting Things

Here are some things that are interesting to me at the moment:

1. Mountain biking with clipless pedals. Haven't rode in a while. Got all tangled up with scuba thing during the winter. Now that it's spring, I dusted off the Gary Fisher and put the cleats back on. Been riding around Oak Cliff in anticipation that it will quit raining one of these weekends that I'm in town and I might actually be able to ride a trail again!

2. Doctor Who. I was a big fan back when I was just a kid. Now the new series with David Tennant has whetted my appetite again. Seriously, if you haven't checked out the new show, do yourself a favor and rent a DVD. No more wobbly sets and laughable "monsters." Probably one of the best shows on TV at the moment and its got a lot of heart...oh, and I'm still a fan of the classic series, but the new one has sort of spoiled me!

3. The Beatles. Snagged a copy of the Anthology series on DVD (almost 10 hours of video. Yikes!) and it confirmed two things -- that the Beatles are probably the greatest rock band of all time (sorry Stones fans) and McCartney is an absolute egomaniac. Encouraged me to get the new "Love" CD which is pretty cool. I especially recommend it to young/new fans who aren't totally over saturated but it's good for older folks as well.


4. Coca-Cola Zero. I've been on the wagon for the past three weeks and Coca-Cola Zero has been my tipple of choice. I actually like the taste...a bit sweeter than Diet Coke but satisfying. Great, just what I need, another habit I must break.

5. Firestone Tires. Put some brand new ones on my car. It's like driving a new vehicle. It's pretty surprising how a new set will make that much of a difference.